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Brazilian police release 3 Israeli tourists after clashes with pro-Palestine locals in beach city

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police released on Monday three Israeli tourists who this weekend were involved in a disturbance with pro-Palestine residents of a beachfront city in the country’s tropical northeast.

Bahia state police said in a statement that three men between ages 21 and 22 insulted officers and resisted arrest after they “conflicted with a group of people during a pro-Palestine demonstration” in Itacare, a city of 30,000 residents that has become a travel spot for former Israeli soldiers.

Itacare lies 1,340 kilometers (832 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.

The protest on Saturday went viral on Brazilian social media and showed the Israeli tourists clashing with residents who questioned their presence in the city. Another demonstration that showed locals being favorable to the foreign visitors took place the same day, police said.

Several people involved in the protest against the Israeli tourists featured Palestinian flags and chants against Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since its start.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Australian watchdog files legal action against Telegram, saying it failed to remove violent content

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s online safety watchdog has filed legal action against messaging app Telegram, saying the platform failed to remove extremist content including videos of white supremacist mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and the New Zealand city of Christchurch as well as Islamic State group beheadings. The United Arab Emirates-based app, which reports having 1 billion users worldwide, faces a fine of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars ($38 million) if convicted in the Australian Federal Court for “alleged failure to detect and remove pro-terror material,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Thursday. The civil action is a test of Australia's 2021 law requiring tech platforms to work to keep illegal and pro-terrorism material off their networks. Telegram denied the claims. “We reject these allegations and will contest them in court,” a spokesperson said in a written statement sent on Telegram.
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